Although there are more cell phones in the United States then people, the FBI statistics of people who are involved in emergency situations is staggering. Every second in the United States someone is involved with a car accident. A property crime occurs every 3.5 seconds in the United States. Every 5 seconds someone is a victim of larceny, aggravated assault, every 42 seconds, a robbery every 1.5 minutes, a rape every 6 minutes and a murder every 36 minutes. Hundreds of people go missing each day in America and thousands are abducted each month.
The elderly demographic, defined as persons older than 56 years old, is the one of the fastest growing group of mobile device users and has been reported up 18% in the last few years. While there are existing alert systems that are optimized and marketed to the elderly, many of these alert systems use the outdated. Some derive from a pendant that is wirelessly connected with a speaker system located somewhere inside a house. Other systems involve the transmission of a predetermined message using cellular transmission. However, many senior citizens remain active and do not need to be constrained within the confines of their home to feel secure or have access to a security or alter system. It is an object of the present invention to provide these people an alert system that enhances their independence to allow them to enjoy life.
It is an object of the invention to provide a simple, inexpensive system that allows people in emergency situations to establish rapid contact with friends, relatives and first responders and to make them aware of emergency situations. In the ever-evolving world of extreme sports, people may be found in unusual emergency situations in remote backcountry areas where contact with others may be limited or infrequent. Moreover, in many instances, people that are active in backcountry recreational activities, such as riding motorcycles, bicycling, skiing, snowboarding and horseback riding, will often wear a helmet and gloves which can impede the ability to easily communicate using a conventional cell phone. For example, in some emergency circumstances, such as after an injury, it may be difficult or impossible to manipulate a conventional cell phone transmitter and a helmet can further impede the use.
If a person becomes lost or is missing, the person's friends and relatives may not be able to easily find them and may be required to obtain a court order to allow for the release of cell phone records that may help locate the person.
The horrific mass shootings that have occurred in recent history also illustrate a need for improved communications technology. In this regard, many police chiefs have instructed people to follow the following protocol who find themselves in these situations: 1) Remove oneself from the dangerous location and retreat to a secure and safe location; 2) Barricade oneself in a safe spot and turn off your cellphone or any device that will ring; 3) Attempt to make contact with third parties without compromising a secret location; and 4) Wait for help.